BBC Statement: Brand and Ross suspended.
Statement from Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC
"I would like to add my own personal and unreserved apology to Andrew Sachs, his family and to licence fee payers for the completely unacceptable broadcast on BBC Radio 2.
BBC audiences accept that, in comedy, performers attempt to push the line of taste. However, this is not a marginal case. It is clear from the views expressed by the public that this broadcast has caused severe offence and I share that view.
Since Sunday, I have been in regular contact with the senior executives I tasked with handling this issue. The investigation that I instructed Tim Davie to conduct is nearing completion, and I am returning to London to review the findings and, in the coming days, announce what action we will take.
In the meantime, I have decided that it is not appropriate for either Russell Brand or Jonathan Ross to continue broadcasting on the BBC until I have seen the full report of the actions of all concerned.
This gross lapse of taste by the performers and the production team has angered licence payers. I am determined that we satisfy them that any lessons will be learnt and appropriate action taken. I have been asked to report to the Trust's Editorial Standards Committee before the end of this week and will discuss with the Trust the findings of the report and the actions I propose."
What do YOU think?
1350 UPDATE: A BBC editor writes....
Listen to PM
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~48~RS~)
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With or without pay?
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Perfect. Well done, that DG.
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Expletive deleted. Scary stuff.
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Free the Auntie Two !!
What was it they used to say during the war ? "It'll be over by Christmas.."
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John Tusa was pretty well right when he said that the license payers were beginning to wonder what the bbc were up to. I think that Mark Thompson was rather slow to act in this case, and suspension earlier would have perhaps kept the politicians out of the row. These sort of things make people question the complete integrity of the BBC. The Senior editors here are either not getting the right direction from the very top, or just not doing their jobs properly?
Which is these is it?
Tim
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And what about the producer?
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Friday Night with Eddie Mair. Go on!
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I honestly think this is ridiculous - ok, it was a prank call, not very nice for Andrew Sachs to listen to, fair enough. But the show was pre-recorded, surely it is the producer and the rest of the show's team's responsibility to seek approval from Andrew Sachs and check with their bosses that it was ok to transmit? I really don't think that these two are the ones that should be punished the most in all of this.
Until it was in the papers, only one complaint was received about this particular part of the show.
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#6, Exactly, what about the producer? Given that this was pre-recorded, and they probably didn't imagine it would make it past the editing process, surely s/he has some responsibility too?
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Although I think that Brand and Ross have rightly been condemned, I can't help feel that (in particular for Ross who has atleast done the decent thing after the fact) this step is an over reaction.
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This is ridiculous... oh well fellow license-fee payers: if you really want a safe, bland, inoffensive BBC with safe, bland, inoffensive talent (excluding Eddie M of course!) then this is just the sort of action that will deliver that. We only get what we deserve I guess. No wonder the 'yoof' are leaving TV and radio in droves...
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Several days too late, but better late than never I suppose (though the BBC management helped to create the crisis by moving with the speed of an arthritic sloth). Now we wait to see which executives get the boot, at least one surely will.
Please let this be the start of a review of all BBC programme material - particularly the huge overuse of swearwords to get laughs.
Rude jokes are fine in context (for example I enjoy most of Little Britain), but Brand is a pointless waste of space and Ross is operating way below his potential so it's time to point him to the door and spend the £6 million a year on something more useful
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Well done that DG, better late than never.
But as others have commented, what about the producers / editors?
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The funniest thing about this saga is the complete over reaction by the general public and media jumping on a band wagon. Surely there are more important things going on in the world than to even think of bringing this up in PM questions.
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So the BBC finally gave in to the 'outraged of Golgafrincham' crowd, none of whom complained at the time because they don't listen to the show. I doubt if any of them knew what had happened until they read it in the Daily Mail.
How very sad. I hope these suspensions turn out to be as silly a storm in a teacup as the original lapse of judgement on the part of Ross, Brand and their producers was. The BBC will be a far drearier place without them.
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I can’t believe the BBC has succumbed to the pressure from people who did not hear this show. Hardly anyone complained (including Mr Sachs) until the tabloid press got hold of this story and made things so much worse than they need be. Now they have got their readers to mindlessly do their bidding. Well done you.
It was a lack of judgement by the producers of the show to air this pre-recorded episode. Brand and Ross created the show but did not broadcast it – the BBC did.
People who do not like Ross and Brand have now got their stick to beat them with and it is listeners like me who will suffer. There are plenty of things which I don’t like on the BBC and offend me for different reasons but I understand that some people like them so I simply don’t listen.
I am extremely disappointed.
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I object to them being suspended. the money that 'the investigation' will take.
it's comedy.
some people find it funny
some do not
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Great! Ross and Brand have been suspended! Overall, I had a sense of two sick bullies finally getting their due -let them be jeered out of public life...Russell Brand's arrogant apology ("...but it was funny") still grates...didn't they teach him anything at the Italia Conti acting school he attended.
I only hope the strain of all this does not prove too much for Andrew Sachs, who has acted with such dignity throughout.
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It was only last night that I really "tuned in" to the details of all this, and discovered that it had been a pre-recorded show. So I can only paraphrase others and ask what blithering idiot can have agreed to the airing of this harmful tosh, presuming that they had all sat down and listened to it in the cold light of day?
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Both of them are a waste of licence fee imvho.
Brand abuses flowery language and thinks far more of himself than he should.
Ross has become a bit of a sad one-gag talkshow host - get past his lustful advances and his large ahem "manhood" and there is little left.
Why give them so much publicity over this, though? Take them off air, have the apology come through official channels from the Beeb, keep them off air.
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What has not been mentioned much is the sheer misogyny of the 'prank' exercised on Andrew Sachs by Brand and Ross. It demonstrates the level of 'humour' of this horrible pair and the lack of sense on the part of the Editorial Team that this wasn't thought of as demeaning and sexist and allowed to be broadcast. Brand and Ross are simply the Bernard Manning de nos jours of the BBC.
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Do we really think that Brand and Ross would have behaved any differently if it hadn't been pre-recorded? I certainly don't. The celebrity culture is such that we have created these characters - and that's what they are - almost cartoon like in their exaggeration. I would love to know the listener profile they were supposed to be delivering to...Radio 2 doesn't authomatically spring to mind as a platform for cutting edge comedy....
At least poor old Kerry is getting a rest
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Is there a number we can call to counter-act the 10,000 or so who have called to complain but didn't hear the original broadcast? I thought it was in very poor taste, should be subject to a disciplinary but really, sacking them both? It isn't reason enough simply because many of you don't care for their humour - other shows are available after all.
They shouldn't have done it - it was in very, very poor taste - but I don't think they would ever have expected it to be broadcast, which leaves them to apologise for leaving the messages on his answerphone, but not this worldwide publicity for the stunt?
I think it is a lack of control in the editorial process at the BBC at fault, not simply the two presenters and a suspension (plus their proper apologies) should be fine.
ooOOOOoo
Aggie
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This is rediculous there is no way they should be suspended. Just move on from this issue, they are both funny and interesting and make the shows they are on. Andrew Sachs should just delete those messages and move on.
Jonathon Ross has brought the BBC up to date and out of its stuffy past. Don't go back to those cosseted days. Its all about the emotional cycle of change and some people just don't like change. This is all media hype and if you take them off our screens and airways less people will watch or listen.
There maybe 18k people who have complained but there are millions who listen silently and enjoy their shows. Think About It.........Fella
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BBC executives who considered this sort of behaviour to be entertaining should seriously consider their position after such a clear indication of this lack of understanding of the expectations of the audience they serve. I am saddened that senior management at the BBC had to be led by the audience to identify this gross breach of standards.
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As both of them are totally talentless it is a relief to find any excuse to get them off the air. I will quite look forward to Friday night Without JR!
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Remember Kenny Everett and his BLUNDER - Ross/Brand should pay the same price with their Jobs.
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Good one, they crossed the line between edgy and plain poisonous and if some people reckon it was all a bit of a laugh then that's their problem - they can make phonecalls to their own grandparents if that amuses them.
Those that complain that 'no one moaned until it appeared in the papers' ar a bit disingenuous - are only those who were actually in Corfu allowed to have an opinion about George Osbourne, for instance?
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All this affair goes to prove is how many pious, thin-skinned, thou-shallt-nots there are out there. Brand and Ross are guilty of tastelessness and a lack of judgement, and nothing more; or in other words, they made a mistake. They have apologised, and this should be the end of the matter. They should not be suspended by the BBC. If they aren't funny to you, they are to me. If Fawlty Towers were a brand new sitcom that had only aired last week for the very first time, no doubt the thousands who have so pompously complained about Brand and Ross would instead now be writing to complain about Sachs' 'racist and stereotypical' portrayal of Spaniards. I recommend that the sanctimonious critics that have been so quick to take offence and to raise their witless critical voices, develop a sense of humour, because without one there can be no sense of proportion: for proof of this, just look at Gordon Brown's comments on the affair. Lay off Brand and Ross, they do not deserve the level of demonization and opprobrium that is presently being heaped upon them by all the self-righteous purveyors of cant that are currently crawling out of the woodwork to score cheap political points.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
If someone at work made a similar telephone call to a customer or member of the public, they would be dismissed without question - why are Ross and Brand any different? And isn't it a criminal offence to make abusive phone calls or doesn't that apply to Ross and Brand either?
If Andrew Sachs were black or Muslim, Ross and Brand would never have considered insulting him or his family in such a way so why is it considered fair game to attack him in this schoolyard bully fashion? I thought this behaviour was being DIScouraged in children.
When the licence fee is paid for by adults, the BBC surely has a duty to ensure that the people who pay their wages are treated with respect.
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Fabulous. As well as being allowed to be tasteless, arrogant and ignorant they've been given a paid holiday.
Jonathon: You're better than this and I hope you're sorry.
Russell: You're a waste of time and space and the sooner you disappear the better.
Mark Thompson: thanks for getting them off the air - your challenge now is to keep Brand off for good. I can't begin to understand how you deem him worthy of public money.
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"I doubt if any of them knew what had happened until they read it in the Daily Mail. "
Or Mirror, or Guardian, or Telegraph, or Times.
I don't think you can write off everyone who thinks that making obscene phone calls to pensioners is a bad idea by splashing the Daily-Mail reader stereotype about.
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At last the BBc is acting with some responsibility over the “Ross and Brand” affair. I think it’s to little to late I am sure it could be classed as gross misconduct under the old stuffy rules of the BBC. I am so surprised that “Radio 1” behaviour is now on “Radio 2” It is time that these unfunny toilet mouthed people are rained in. The BBC must look at what they are doing and remember they are a public service corporation and have a code of conduct. I also think MP’s need to cut funding to BBC as the company has shown its contempt to the public.
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The remarks on the show were tasteless, offensive and showed poor judgement.
However the BBC does not, I presume, employ Ross and Brand for their good taste, inoffensiveness and sound judgement.
The producer of the show judged (correctly if the reports of the number and type of complaints are correct) that the material would not offend the show's audience. The producer may also have considered that Mr Sachs, being an actor and therefor partially dependant on the BBC for his livelihood, would not make a big fuss about it.
The producer made an error of judgement. I'm not without sin in that department and I'm not about to cast a stone.
The BBC news site has an excellent article giving the timeline of events.
On the 23rd October Mr Sachs' agent complains to Leslie Douglas the current Controller of Radio 2, two days later Brand apologised on air. It's not until four days later that the BBC apologises and that's done via a statement from an anonymous Radio 2 spokeswoman.
This is, in my view, the key failure. If Mr. Douglas knew, or should have known, on the 23rd that a program for which he is responsible had caused grave offence to Mr Sachs and that this was getting substantial press coverage. At that point he should have personally apologised to Mr Sachs and issued an unreserved apology in his name on behalf of Radio 2 and the BBC.
I don't know why Mr Douglas did not act. It could be that he's stupid, arrogant and/or insensitive. It's equally possible that the internal structure of BBC are so Byzantine that it was not possible for him to act quickly and effectively (for what it's worth I'm betting on the second reason).
The danger is that the consequences of this incident is that the BBC will become even more risk averse. The consequence should be that the BBC should take measure to enable its mid and senior managers to manage effectively and replace those who are unable to do so.
This is a relatively trivial incident, if one takes the wider view. What's not trivial is the way the BBC has sleepwalked into allowing hostile elements to make it an issue of standards and governance.
BBC, if you can't handle this properly how are you going to survive when you make a really serious mistake?
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What a fine crop of interesting, non-knee-jerk posts (can't see the ones in pre-mod, of course).
The producer should have referred the recording to the editor, and so on up the line, and when we find where the buck stops we find the 'culprit', Beeb-wise, anyway.
But, as I said on the previous thread, the Beeb should have reacted much more quickly.
Now let's hope the media frenzy dies down.
PS: I wonder if the Sun paid the grand-daughter for her print/TV interviews?
PPS: I also wonder how Ariel will report this?
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Lets be clear - this broadcast was in poor taste and offensive. BBC should not be wasting license payers money on this.
My suggestion:-
sack Jonathan Ross
sack Russell Brand
sack the person who gave the approval
sack the Head of the Production Team.
It is no use fining the BBC - it's another penalty on the tax(license) payer.
Reduce the license fee by £5.00 per year as a punishment to the BBC and reduce their arrogance
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As a licence fee payer, I hope that both Brand and Ross have been suspended without pay and that their sacking will follow in the next day or two. It disgusts me that the BBC wastes so much money employing this talentless, unpleasant and puerile pair.
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Oddly complaints to OFCOM regarding 6Music's George Lamb offending Ray Davies live on air are still ongoing over four weeks after the incident. It's odd how media coverage speeds things up.
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I have to admit I have never been a fan of Jonathan Ross and have always thought Brand a waste of time money and space. They should not be allowed to get away with such disgraceful behaviour. It is my licence money that pays them and I object to it being spent on such people as Ross and Brand.I like a good joke as much as the next man, and I am able to swear like a trooper if I want to. However I think it is not the correct thing for Public broadcasters to do. To me it shows a lack of language skills especially as they are so called professionals.
Time to Put some else in their seat.
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I presume their pay has been suspended.
If not, why not?
When will the Police press charges?
When will they be sacked for their criminal act?
When will the person responsible for allowing this to be aired be sacked and prosecuted?
This will not go away unless it is dealt with properly and promptly, end of next week should be plenty of time.
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Not good enough. Commercial TV stations are having to cope with reduced revenue, so the BBC licence fee should be cut by 25% to match this.
Then make it clear to employees that this cut (and the resulting job losses and pay cuts) are in part due to Russell and Brand.
Only then will the liberal dreamers in the BBC realise how out of touch with reality they really are.
Tate
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Anthony@#27 - I don't remember, but others have posted the same comment - care to elaborate?
ooOOOoo
Aggie
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1st blog - felt strongly that DG's decision absolutely spot on. The 'temporary' suspension must become permanent.
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I echo the sentiments of others here and ask what on earth has been done in terms of disciplining the producer(s) who sanctioned this broadcast??
I am starting to become increasingly uncomfortable with the level of media coverage this receiving, particularly in the tabloid press. The Sun - true to form - have an interview with the Grandaughter along with the typical sad/glum looking picture. I know Mr Sachs was upset by the whole incident but in this feature he is quoted to be "devastated". It is all getting out of hand now. Personally - although I haven't listened to it for a while - I used to quite enjoy Ross's radio show. In his TV show he can be rude and crude and embarrass his guests which I really don't like, but on his radio show he tended to show much more restraint and was genuinely amusing in a more chatty way. Brand as well - when not playing the shock tactic - can be extremely funny in his very unique way. It was such a foolish and unnecessary act that has spiralled out of all control.
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For those who think that this has been blown up out of proportion, let us remind ourselves (again) that if a member of the public had done what Ross and Brand did, they would have certainly been dismissed for gross misconduct, and probably facing criminal charges.
The suspension of Ross and Brand is too little, too late. Mark Thompson's statement above still persists with the BBC line when he refers to this as "a gross lapse of taste". If you need an investigation to consider whether it is acceptable to use activity which many consider criminal to boost your ratings, then you are not fit for purpose. For Ross and Brand the evidence is in the public domain. Take action on them now, suspension is like a slap on the wrists. Will their next "prank" be to "push the boundaries" with a more extreme act? Recording pensioners being mugged? Filming "happy slapping"? Handing out knives to their fans to see if they can push the knife into someone? (Sorry, that should be "push the boundary").
No, BBC, it would appear that you have not learned from the phone-in scandals, you still believe that your staff and "celebrity" presenters are above the law.
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What an excellent opportunity for the BBC to re-assess how it spends our money.
By my calculations, the extended cabinet (approximately 27 MP's) cost the taxpayer around £3,567,944 per year. Admittedly that figure is based on the 2004 earnings and does not take into account expenses etc.
Mr Ross on the other hand could be paid as much as £18m per year. (if the Daily Mail is to be believed).
So roughly, the UK cabinet cost us £5-6m per year, and Mr Ross' wage may come in at a similar cost of £6m to the Licence fee tax payer.
No one can ever justify a wage of that amount. This indecent incident offers the BBC an opportunity to right more than one wrong and either bring Mr Ross back to the real world with a pay cut or show him the doors.
Some of the money saved could be reinvested into local radio which has seen too many cutbacks.
Sources cited:
MP's costs (2004)
http://www.alankeen.com/expenses.htm#howmuchpm_ministers
Mr Ross' Wage (2006)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-405335/Obscene-18m-pay-deal-TVs-Jonathan-Ross.html
BBC cutbacks
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7050440.stm
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Release Ross and Brand to seek their fortunes elsewhere along with the producer.
Those who support their action can follow.
The BBC will survive to provide excellent comedy without obscene criminal harrassement and bullying of the innocent.
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I am sad that Ross still thinks that the childish prank was 'funny'. The age of the 'target' is not particularly relevant. What offends me, and I think others, is that he and Brand chose not to limit themselves to insulting him, but to make offensive remarks about his family. I wish I could find a telephone number for both of them, and see how they feel about messages about their children / grandchildren. If they do not know now where the limits of 'comedy' are, they would soon learn.
Maggie
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This is a good decison and if the BBC is fined by Ofcom I trust it will pay the fine frm the inflated salaries of these two rather than continuing to pay them at xorbitant rate and paying the fine from licence payers money.
As a license fee payer I was already disgusted before this incident by the amount that Jonathan Ross is paid for such a puerile show - he is not funny and this latest incident is the last straw.
I trust that he will not continue at the BBC on this grossly inflated salary or Russell Brand either.
Those who let it through are also culpable and lacking in judgment.
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I can only agree that Ross and Brand should be suspended pending further enquiries.
My own view is that neither of these so called ‘stars’ are entertaining or 'brilliant' but rather over opinionated and egotistical yobs.
In the age where the 'Yob Culture' rules it is only correct that such appalling behaviour meets with the establishments censure
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Talk about a load of fuss over nothing - how many people was it that origanlly complained? I think it was five - get over it!
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What a huge over-reaction.
I heard the original broadcast - live (sort of) - in context, unlike most, if not all of yesterday's posters. It was very funny. Fact. And I'm bang in the middle of the Radio 4 demographic.
I could not believe the outpouring of bile and vitriol - remarks about their appearance; calling these erudite broadcasters thick; moaning jealously about their incomes. The self-righteousness of it all made me nauseous.
The whole incident could have been avoided if the original recording had been edited correctly and proper apologies been made, in private, to Mr Sachs.
And the Daily Mail and their pathetic vendetta against Brand have a lot to answer for here, too. When were they appointed as our moral guardians? If they had been any kind of competent journalists, they'd would have broken the story six days earlier.
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About time, but what about the producer/editor who sanctioned the broadcast??? Although I understand that the BBC needs to keep up to date and appeal to all ages, it must not, as a publicly funded body, stoop so low as to disregard moral decency. No one has yet pointed out that unfortunately because these two "entertainers" are supposedly so popular with the "yoof", their behaviour becomes acceptable/normal to this younger generation - is there any wonder we have a generation of youngsters with no respect for others, low esteem and the morals of alley cats!
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Who approved the use of the f word in this article?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7694989.stm
????
bye bye bbc!
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This is crazy. It's turned into a witch hunt! For Gordon Brown to make comment was ridiculous and pandering to the mob.
The primary fault was with the producer/editor for putting it on air, but they aren't being targeted.
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The DC at the BBC lives in a very "sheltered " world, His inept handling of this matter is the first nail in the coffin of the BBC as we know it.
The Gen Public resent the cost of funding the Corporation, this will bring it to a head, The BBC has dumbed down (Radio 4 Excepted) to the point where it is no longer valued.
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I am appalled at Jonathan Ross. I believe he has a daughter how would he feel if she was treated this way? Russell Brand is a mickey take of a genuine talent who was Kenny Everett. Russell Brand does not have original thought in the same way. I would rather watch reruns of Kenny Everett than Russell Brand!
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Following its internal review, I would hope to hear that the BBC has parted company with Brand and Ross and agreed financial terms for the severance.
It's the only logical solution: the BBC will have to sack the producer and whoever he referred the programme to before it was broadcast. In those circumstances, the perpetrators of the crime (Brand and Ross) will also have to go, to avoid justifiable claims of unfairness.
The fact that some posters on here think there has been an over-reaction shows just how far the country has sunk - thanks in part to the BBC, whose position as a role model appears to have disappeared down the plughole in recent years.
To those who say there there were only 2 complaints at the time, that's because most civilised people either didn't know the programme existed, or were deliberately avoiding it. It doesn't make their criticisms invalid.
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It seems to me that the people who are complaining most vociferously about this issue are not the people who actually listen to the program and are not part of the target audience for it.
It also seems that it is people who don't like Ross and Brand anyway that are using this as an excuse to have a go at them.
I think Ross and Brand have the right to expect that any unacceptable material will be edited out of a pre-recorded program. I am sure there are many other programs produced by the BBC that would be in trouble if this were not the case. It is the editing team who should be held to account for this fiasco because if they had done their job properly this item would never have been broadcast.
I agree that if Ross and Brand are sacked it will be a shame for the BBC and will turn many young people away from listening to the radio.
Also, please BBC bear in mind that the people who enjoy this kind of programming also pay their licence fee!
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Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand suspended? Why? Responsibility for the show's pre-recorded content is the Producer's - not the presenters'.
The fact that the BBC has responded to mob hysteria rather than due process underlines the sorry fact that tabloid headlines dictate policy. Just a casual glance at the content and tone of the complaints reveals the underlying prejudices of the complainants:
1. Lots of people don't like Jonathan Ross and how much money he earns.
2. Lots of people don't like Russell Brand and how much money he earns.
3. Lots of people don't like the BBC and how much money it gets through the license fee.
Can you see what's going on here?
This incident is just a rod to beat the BBC with.
As to the actual incident: if Andrew Sachs was offended and didn't give his clearance for the material to be broadcast - then clearly there is an error of judgement. The Producer should have apologized.
Whilst the item itself was not the finest example of sparkling wit or incisive satire, we should all think very carefully about responding so defensively to a large number of aggrieved complainants (who are offended by something second or third hand - or actually never hear it) - free speech could be compromised by the mobilization of 'interest groups'.
Is this really what we want?
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I dont think Brand and Ross should lose their jobs, lets face it, with all this publicity one of the other channels will snap them up.So what will that achieve? However, the production team should now be very fearful for their jobs. They should have prevented this from going out. The people calling for the dismissal of Ross, seem more fixated on his salary than anything else. This has always been a bone of contention and now people, including MP's are just getting the boot in.
Come on BBC, sort it out and get the programes back on again.
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Two clearly defined camps seemed to have emerged in this saga - the 'yoof' and the rest of us. Generally many of the former see nothing untoward about Ross and Brand's behaviour whilst many of the the latter see it as yet another example of the coarsening and demeaning actions British people (not just 'yoofs') indulge in all too frequently.
I don't want to subsidise this abandonment of standards via the licence fee and that is why i am glad they have been suspended and it is to be hoped sacked in due course.
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test
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I hope they're not still being paid by us. Ross' show has sunk to just being a mutual admiration show anyway and not good tv. I agree, brands just a waste of space. Producers obviously asleep. ditch the lot and get a good prog on instead and improve friday nights.
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No way on earth will the BBC sack these two, and they know it - ITV will have them snapped up in nanoseconds, and the Beeb just can't have that. Foe all the big show of suspending them, it means absolutely nothing, and they will be back on our screens/airwaves before you know it.
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JR 18 million pound contract? Value for money? Words fail to express my disgust and sadness. Time 'Auntie' had a makeover!
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I cannot fathom the air-time this is getting. I know that we all appreciate a change from financial gloom and doom, but what with this and the disproportionate amount of time dedicated to Harry Redknapp on last night's PM, I wonder where our sense of proportion has gone.
It is all about context - Ross and Brand's listeners did not complain. It would be easy to put a lot of bad taste tv and radio programs on Radio Four and get a similar reaction. We cannot hold two people responsible for the general state of broadcasting. The producer has more responsibility but for the prime minister to get involved feels faintly ridiculous.
An apology was due and and with a review of editing guidlines, that should be an end to it.
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On another note, what are the BBC going to put on in place of JRs chatshow.
How about some good populist family fare from the BBC's archive; something safe and inoffensive from the 'good old days' when people were more decent and polite and family entertainers made us chuckle inoffensively.
What about, say repeats of 'The Black and White Minstrel Show', 'It Aint half Hot Mum', 'Love Thy Neighbour' or 'Are you being served?' Or failing that, if you want your stand-up humour back to basics, with decent, family values, why not repeat some of 'The Comedians' featuring benign family favourite Bernard Manning.
While you're at it, why not bring back 'Big Break', featuring Britains' favourite loveable rogue Jim Davidson?
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Why not let the public decide if they stay or go with a vote.
My preference is they go...
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This is excellent news - it makes one seriously wonder what we are paying a licence for, and why these two puerile performers get paid so much. Jonathon Ross is well past "the top of his game" and has been for a very long time, Brand is just an unemployable prat. How long will it last for one wonders?
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To repeat the comment I made on the 'Open and Shut' article:
The issue here is that two grown men have acted in a morally disgraceful way. It's not funny to phone someone up and swear and boast about a sexual act with that person's grandchild no matter who they are. It's not funny to do this on a radio show where other impressionable people are listening. I'm all for edgy, pushing irreverent, humour such as that on programmes such as Mock the Week, but this was downright disgusting and not funny. No wonder that our younger people struggle to find their moral compass in our society when two such high profile figures, one old enough to be a grandfather himself, set this example.
As a BBC Licence fee payer, how do I go about reclaiming the portion that pays these two irresponsible's inflated salary's?
They should go.
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#49 - Maggie - *where* has Jonathan Ross said that he still thinks this is funny? Are you confusing him with Russell Brand?
Hear, Hear Joel C #69
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I think part of the problem is that both presenters have such over inflated egos that they may perceive themselves as untouchable. Suspending them during the investigation is the very least that should be done - I would have gone a step further and sacked them - they will easily find new jobs (hopefully in America!) Neither are really that talented and can be replaced. Ross has become obnoxious over the past few years and surrounds himself with personal friends as guests. Maybe we could have more of the wonderful Mark Lamarr on the radio show and Mark Kermode is a better film buff! Friday night will be far better without him. Brand is not worth comment.
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The press and public have been waiting for an opportunity to knock Johnathan Ross off his pedestal for years - they just seem to despise success. He's been an extremely successful presenter and fun to watch/listen too during that time. If this is the first error of judgement he has made in all the years -can't we forgive and forget?
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While I have much enjoyed the humour of Ross and Brand, more usually the former, the fact that they have been payed those extraordinary sums by the taxpayer places them in a position of responsibility.
It has been evident, watching them re cently, that they have become excessively pleased with themselves and with their ability to get away with stepping over the edge. They both now appear fuelled by conceit, if not by other factors that have clouded their judgement and propelled them further than they might go if they were capable of consideration.
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This whole affair is getting completely out of hand, appologise and move on.
And as for politicians comments, haven't they got their hands full at the moment besides aren't they all busy with affairs, cottaging and smoozing with Russian gangsters.
BBC how much is this storm in a tea cup going to cost the tax payer? I can not believe they have been suspended without pay. All because Andrew Sachs knows how to complain; it's nice to know this comedian hasn't lost his sense of humor!!
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They both should be sacked, they're not funny and I wouldn't watch or listen to them if you paid me. Why do they deserve to be paid so much money? We all pay for that and it should go to proper gentlemen and ladies.
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Ross and Brand have done just what they were paid to do, they were tasteless, tacky and rude. I'm sure, in the past, there were BBC executives encouraging all those tendencies and asking them to push the boundaries. However, there is a whole production team between them and the public who must have, as part of their mandate, the task of ensuring the programme content is not offensive.
Suspension for the pair is too much, as I'm sure they will have learned valuable lessons just from the fuss kicked up by their awful joke. Let them get on with their respective shows, ensure that full apologies to Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter are included, and let this silly matter go away.
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Sorry, but this was broadcast on the 18th and it took the media a week to kick up a fuss, while only 2 complaints were made to the BBC.
In the interview you broadcast yesterday with Alexander Armstrong, he said that it was the job of the production staff to make sure the show was fit for airing and if Have I Got News for You was broadcast as recorded it wouldn't have got past the first series.
Surely the responsiblilty for the broadcast of the 'offensive' parts of the show lies with the producer and not the stars.
(I listened to the show and found it enjoyable. I guess that puts me in a minority)
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(69) J_O_E_L_-_C - You made your point the BBC does finally get rid of their out of control staff.
It is not confined to comedians. There used to be a program that put the public into ever more difficult stunts. The production team got out of control and then they killed someone. Even after 2 serious previous injuries.
The BBC needs to walk a fine line and things do go wrong (Hammond). These actions are an indication of the desperation of over hyped presenters past their comfort zone. They all need a chance to re-invent themseves.
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Brand and Ross are funny, and I appreciate their humour, it is usually edgy, intelligent and surreal. But as a decent human being I just can't wring anything funny out the 'phonecall' and having heard Andrew Sach's grand-daughter's statement on 'The World at One' can only guess at how deeply hurt and humiliated Mr Sach's must feel.
It can't be acceptable, surely to allow this to go unpunished. If it is an over-reaction to feel disgusted and appalled by, lewdness, bullying and humiliation in the name of 'entertainment' I'm sorry but I would rather over-react than be complicit.
Ross and Brand may be great talents in their own right, but with that comes a level of responsibility. What price are we really prepared to pay for 'yoof' ratings.
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All this defensive guff about edgy comics and the British Blandcasting Corp misses the point. Both Ross and Brand have a comedy product to sell and if marketing that product means roasting an elderly man, then that's what they'll do. They aren't fighting a noble cause, taking on the Kremlin or the Krays, it's just a cheap and easy wheeze for them. Or so they thought.
And am I the only one who walked past a shop this week and saw a new Jonathan Ross book on display, "Why Do I Say These Things?" and thought, "Hang on a moment! Are these two media events in some way related?"
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The anti BBC brigade are crawling out of the woodwork and are using these two loons to bash the BBC. I have sensed the argument shifting from the two idiots to calls for the charter to be revoked to non payment of the licence fee.
Get rid of ross and brand quickly and lets all move on. The BBC is far to good to impaled upon the cross created by these two berks.
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I'm saddened that the BBC has chosen to bow to pressure from a large group of people who are clearly not listeners to the show.
Yes they made an error of judgement and it should not have been aired. The only person who should be suspended is the person who did not edit the offending call out, as I am led to believe that Mr sachs actually complained before the show was aired.
As far as I can see the over zealous, witch hunt style response is largely by people who don't like Russell or Jonathons brand of humour anyway and probably object to anything they don't like being payed for out of license fees.
perhaps these people should remember one thing. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't any good. Humour and comedy is not objective. No one can say that it is not funny, it depends on who is listening.
Daily Mail crusade 1, BBC 0
A sad sad day.
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The BBC News web site (which is covering this very well) has an article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7695196.stm on how the BBC vets its shows.
It appears that the producer has to fill in a compliance form which asks, amongst other questions, if the audience might be offended by any part of the show. In this case I think the producer could legitimately answer "No". It does not appear that any significant proportion of the audience of this show were offended by the contents.
If you replace judgement with tick boxes you will get into this sort of mess.
Processes like this simply do not work. You have to use staff with good judgement, ask them to use their judgement, provide them with support and advice in the exercise of that judgement and deal quickly and fairly with any failures.
Forms and check boxes are just CYA devices .
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Could some-one send me an application form .... I understand there are 2 jobs going on Radio 2....????
Roosta's Zany Zappy Zaturday show,
tag line....I stand out from the crowd....
Hmmmm????
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Very good point JOEL (69)!!
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The D-G's statement is succint and to the point and it's entirely appropriate he has become involved in this issue.
I look forward to learning at a later date how the BBC came to be persuaded that Mr Ross and Mr Brand were worth the vast sums their services seem to have commanded in recent years. Leopards and spots...
What Mr Ross and Mr Brand did was offensive, abusive, opportunistic and wrong. And, not only in the eyes of Andrew Sach's and his Grand-daughter...
The Ross/Brand "talents" have now been displayed for what they are. I have no doubts that the BBC should severe it's connection and let the pair of them go to exploit their particular brand (no pun intended) of humour elsewhere. I wonder what taste the commercial market will have for them..?
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I`m appalled by Ross`s behavior. Having read the transcript he appears to be the main instigator in an embarrassing attempt to out shock the younger and more talented Brand.
The Director General must ask himself what course of action he would take if this message had been left by a non celebrity, junior member of staff. To treat Ross differently would reek of hypocrisy.
Mick, Liverpool.
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nicoff @ 53,
"And the Daily Mail and their pathetic vendetta against Brand have a lot to answer for here, too. When were they appointed as our moral guardians? If they had been any kind of competent journalists, they'd would have broken the story six days earlier."
But the Mail on Sunday, which broke the story according to posts here, might have found it a bit difficult to publish it six days earlier than they did, since that would have meant them putting out an issue on a Monday. :-)
I agree with the main thrust of your post, but I do think that it is possible to be erudite and *stupid* (like the professor who put priceless manuscripts in a black plastic sack and left it in his garden while he fetched the car, not realising that the sack might be taken away as rubbish by a dustcart while he wasn't there -- it was...). What Ross and Brand did was stupid, whether they are erudite or not.
It seems to me that their target audience might find them funny, but they ought to restrict the targets for their humour to people of the same type and tastes as that audience; to make a butt of someone not 'on their side' and not one of their crowd was a mistake, and was certain to make them look bad when it was noticed. An analogy might be, it's more or less ok for thugs to have fights among themselves of a Friday night outside the pub, but it isn't ok for those thugs to duff up a passer-by -- and if he's old enough to be their grandfather, that makes it worse. If they had messed about with the grand-daughter that could be said to be rather nasty but within the 'rules', because it would seem that she inhabits their playground; dragging her grandfather into the mess was purely nasty, no 'rather' about it.
I think it was the age and status of their victim that led to the outrage, more than anything else: attacking an elderly man is indefensible in a way that attacking someone of their own age and status would not have been.
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About time -- Why did it take so long?
Suspended without pay, I would hope.
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It’s about time lads like Ross and Brand got a slap. There’s funny – and then there’s malicious, unedifying, bullying. The recent incident falls into the latter category and there’s way, way too much of that present in comedy today. And before some smart-arsed, gelled-up lad tells me I’m a blue-rinsed middle-class listener of Radio 4 who needs to lighten up and see the joke, I saw Richard Pryor in his hey day, long before they were born. Unlike our contemporary batch of “edgy” comedians, he was funny.
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Much Ado About Nothing!!!
12,000 complaints, I wonder how many of the people complaining actually listened to the show in question? Much less than 1% I would guess.
From what I can gather (reading what is published on the BBC website, I didn't hear it either) this sounds exactly like typical Brand and Ross humour, humour that I am sure brought them to the attention of the BBC in the first place, but suddenly because a bunch of Daily Mail readers are up in arms over it Brand and Ross are suspended. Way to strike a blow for mediocrity the BBC.
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Chris @ 91
The point I was trying to make was the 'holier-than-thou' attitude of most of the posts - proclaiming them ignorant or ill-educated, when plainly they are neither.
If it was the Mail On Sunday, then they were eight days late - also making my point about their band-wagon jumping style of journalism.
I completely agree that it was the age and status of their victim that has made their attack unreasonable. How much better for all involved if, as I said, it had been dealt with by the production team and not dragged through the press like this.
On a side issue, hasn't Gordon Brown got anything better to be getting on with than sticking his oar in?
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We now seem to have reached the outrage about the outrage stage, if not surpassed it. I really don't think this merits the air-time it has recieved. There are more important issues to cover.
I suppose one could look at this as a kind of national displacement activity, "the economy is crashing, let's sack Jonathon Ross!"
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I feel it's an over-reaction.
IMO the call they made and the language and sentiments left on the answerphone were puerile and offensive. However, suspending the presenters at this stage is absurd - the real culprits are the programme's editor and producer. They are the people who should be hung out to dry - what on earth were they thinking?
Perhaps, such is the power of these grossly over-paid schoolboys, the hapless production staff were simply too afraid of challlenging or upsetting them.
Personally, I never could abide Brand and would welcome his disappearance from the BBC, but Ross can actually be humorous and has real talent. If I was king at the beeb, I'd decimate his salary and let him back on.
I can only hope that this will be the precursor to things getting back to reality at the BBC and all the rest of those broadcasters swanning around the BBC at our great expense have their salaries reduced to an appropriate level.
If they don't like it, let them leave. There are plenty of equally talented people that would love to take their places. As far as I'm concerned it could be the cat that delivers the news or interrogates a recalcitrant politician, so long as the job is done effectively.
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JOEL-C (69) -
They could show the Lenny Bruce biopic for a start to show what real cutting edge comedy - and its persecution - look like.
Brand and Ross are nowhere near the cutting edge. They are in fact in exactly the same territory as all of those tired old shows you list.
Now's the time for some creative thinking. For example, someone has suggested that Mark Kermode would be infinitely preferable to Jonathan Ross as the presenter of a film programme. Someone else has suggested "Friday Night With Mair" (that wasn't you was it, Eddie?). There's lots of great stuff just waiting to happen on our screens.
Defenders of Brand and Ross just seem to me to be willing to settle for so much less than they should.
Simply put - we're worth more than they (Ross, Brand, and the BBC) seem to think we will put up with.
I want to be entertained, but not at the expense of selling out my conscience for a cheap laugh.
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This is an outrageous decision. The issue is about the failure of the BBC to exercise appropriate editorial control. If anyone wants suspending it is the people who sanctioned the broadcast.
If we start to judge entertainers by the bits that are, or should be on the cutting room floor, output will become about as exciting as watching paint dry.
It is entirely wrong that millions of listeners and viewers should be deprived, merely because an intolerant minority lack proportionality.
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Poor Jonathan and Russell. Such naughty little boys!
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I think this is an excellent result - albeit a little late in the day.
Personally I would like to see Brand given the boot completely. He is a talentless twit that somehow seems to have slunk into the arms of the BBC. There is a wealth of talent in this country maybe the BBC should take a look. Furthermore, what is the BBC doing putting up photographs of him parading round his studio in his underpants on this website - who decided that was a good idea???
As for Ross, well, he is salvagable, he has got talent but needs to rein himself in and stop trying to get noticed by being suggestive, obscene and down right rude. Shame really he could be so lovable.
I do not agree at all that what they did was a prank, or that it was humour. There must be some folk out there who have a very strange sense of humour if they think that it was funny. I am sure if they were on the receiving end of such a "joke" they wouldn't be laughing. It's just not funny.
As for the Daily Wail - who reads it anyway - it's a comic full of items of news that just aren't news - but that's another story.
I personally like to hear quality broadcasting. I am not an old fuddy duddy but I don't want my ears bomarded with rubbish. I used to be a great Radio 2 fan - but not anymore.
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I'm offended by our apparent need (I don't know who drives this need, but someone in authority seems to think it's us, the people) to bring everything down to the lowest (very) common denominator. Please, please stop. Let's raise the standards, and give people something to aspire to? Please?
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Now that "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross" wont be going out on Friday night, how about replacing the slot with a couple of episodes of "Fawlty Towers" ?
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The BBC should replace Jonathan Ross with Adrian Chiles and Russel Brand with Peter Kay.
Chiles' interview techniques are modern and witty whilst at the same time respecting his guests by letting them actually get a word in - unlike Ross.
Peter Kay is a hilariously funny "proper" comedian, who also knows when to modify his language and behaviour to suit his audience - unlike Brand or Ross.
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Rock on Thommo...
Just the right thing to do
Now make their departure permanent and use the money saved to develop bucketfulls of new talent...
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I'm bored.... When the world's financial markets are collapsing why is this the leading news headline.
1) Whether you love em or hate the Russell & Jonathon have an audience that find them funny some of these will also be license fee payers.
2) The indiscretion & brodcast needs to be managed by the BBC. As a fee payer I need to be assured that bad behaviour (if that's what this was) can be addressed.
3) I would question any member of my family that would sleep with Russell Brand (sorry Russell) I'm not be funny but thats like having a plummer who complains about getting wet - what did you expect!
4) The public are faced with this sort of 'outing' of celebrities on a daily basis in the tabliods what about those families? - did anyone see the cost of fame with Piers Morgan & Chantelle Houghton
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TH 1, In case nobody else has said, with pay.
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Fella1234 24, Millions of people knew about what was happening to the Jews under Hitler and didn't complain. I guess they just enjoyed it.
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about time. i expect you to have suspended their pay as well.
they are bang to rights guilty of breaking the law of the land,the bbc rules of behaviour,and have offended all but a small band of crass and unfeeling people who have no idea that funny and filthy are not inextricably linked because they share the letter ''F'' [as does gordon,laughing boy, ramsey]
give them a fair hearing and then hang 'em as they said in the wild west.
why should they be allowed to continue in their arrogance,funded by us.
the truth is most people in this country do not like what they do at all.
only a few bbc people think them'' far -out,edgy,ground breaking'' ,or whatever.
in fact the are dirty little perves,sniggering on air.
lenny bruce they are not.
mike berry
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I am pleased that someone in the BBC has retained some vestige of morality in suspending these overpaid pranksters. The lessons that they are teaching by example to the population, both old and young, are usually appalling with their rudeness and bad language.
If you don't know what I mean, listen to young people talking to each other. Thanks mainly to television, they think such attitude and language are normal behaviour and the years go by, they are right. Thanks BBC.
R.L. (Leeds)
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aa 27, You're lucky you didn't mention the stupid, sleazy female character done by Everett. I did and got modded.
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TW 35, Lesley Douglas is a female.
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Absolutely ridiculous.
Sure, I agree that what Ross and Brand did was wrong. But, why have they been suspended when the producer/editor haven't been? Okay they shouldn't have recorded it in the beginning, but the buck lies with whoever broadcasted this.
This debate also seems to be fueled by anger at the license fee. The BBC Trust needs to come down hard and fast and outline what great work the BBC does. This won't help, but the constant calls for abolition of the license fee need to stop.
There is a certain section of society, namely the lower echelons of the middle class that seem to spend their entire time moaning. Wether it's kids on street corners, reduced bin collections, the state of the NHS or the broadcast that they probably didn't even here.
I'm disgusted that the BBC has given in. Is Mark Thompson so weak kneed that he gave in to those wittering away above?
This world would be so much better without Daily Mail readers...
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JOEL_C 69, I'd prefer Clive Anderson.
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Ross and Brand made a bad mistake, but people are kicking them with the enjoyment of a bunch of skinheads. I'll miss JR on Saturday.
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hof 74, But wouldn't it just be more toilet humor with Kermode?
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famousunacceptable 109 - you're language isn't much better, is it?
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bdd 80, I attended a recording of HIGNFY and only a bit was cut to make it fit the time it was to fill on TV.
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Hurrah- Ross and Brand have gone (for now) Are there any vacancies as I can be rude at a much lower cost. Iv'e been thinking about a career change lately.....
Let me know. Byeeeeee
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David @ 118: If HIG(a bit more)NFY is a fair representation of what normally gets cut, then the majority of recorded footage cut is that of the guest presenter fluffing their lines...
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jf 81, I remember when Frank Bough (mostly sports) was dropped because of things he did in his private life similar to Angus Deayton.
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Well honestly - is this news? If you listen to Russell Brand's show you know what it's like. It's terrible that he pushed things too far, it was bullying, it was nasty but now it should be private, it's certainly not worthy of the top spot in PM all week. If the law has been broken then that needs to be dealt with. If not then maybe one big, public apology and then a private enquiry a pause for thought for Russell and Jonathan.
Please - give us some real news. And if we are going to go on about this then let's do something positive and turn it into a campaign for kindness over cruelty in entrertainment.
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Happy to see the grossly overpaid Woss suspended - without pay hopefully - and Brand should just go.
But - it seems the Editor/Producer are getting away with it. He/she or they must go too. They let the programme go out even *after* Mr Sachs complained which he did before it had been broadcast.
Had it not been for this crass decision, the programme would not have been aired and Woss'n'Brand would still be cluttering up the airwaves with their dross.
I'm sick of being forced with threat of fines and imprisonment, to pay the bbc tax.
Scrap the licence fee and see who wants to pay the subscription for the rubbish you put out.
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Two posts today and both "held pending moderation". (No bad language, bad words, or invitations to suicide).
pity the BBC didn't do the same with Brand and Ross.
Disgusted of Cumbria
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Dock their pay during suspension and drop them both permanently. Get in some new talent that is really funny.
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I think both Johnathan Ross and Brand should be sacked immediately. Their behaviour is totally unacceptable. In addition, senior members of the production team for the programme, together with the BBC manager next up the tree should all be sacked for their part in allowing this situation to be recorded and broadcast. Alarm bells should have been ringing long before the programme was transmitted, and all these personnel should pay the price.
Colin Hambidge
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The reason why only a couple of people initially complained about Brand and Ross's offensive remarks is because the great majority of their show's audience probably share their infantile and disrespectful sense of 'humour'.
It doesn't however lessen the offence caused, to Andrew Sachs, or the BBC licence payer.
Sack them both, together with the production heads. It's what any decent employer would do.
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The fact that only two complaints were received following the Brand/Ross broadcast has been commented on several times, but no-one seems to have acknowledged what that implies - that nobody was actually listening to the show at the time!
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The BBC have lost it.
They let a pre-recorded Ross & Brand car crash go to air but pulled this at the behest of the police:
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
Odd that.
How much time did the BBC and the politicians of all parties bleat on about censorship in China during the Olympics.
When the BBC do things like that why should I trust any of their other output?
Where does that footage pulled by the BBC sit with what Ministers said about reducing the 'carnage' on our roads?
Doesn't the white van driver deserve a ticket for tailgating?
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mittfh 120, The recording I attended started with a warm-up man chatting to the audience (I am at the top left) and I suppose the edited material from the actual program would fill HIGMNFY. Incidentally, the words at the back are turned by a man running behind them. Real hi-tech stuff.
As I said elsewhere, Brand has resigned from his Radio 2 program.
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So Brand has now resigned and accepted full responsibilty - at least it shows some sign of contrition but like the rest of the BBC's response feels "too-little-too-late".
The interview with Sach's just underlined how badly judged Ross and Brand's actions were, by picking on a gentle, sensitive and respected man such as Sachs these two have shown themselves as bullies - beyond the pail entirely.
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BB 129, Car/carnage? Just a coincidence? I think we should be told.
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The BBC? Reporting the news, or making the news?
Woss and Brand connect to 'the kids'?
Er......I am not a kid. I am old enough to be a kids parent.
I 've listened to Brand a few times as I listen to Radio 2 on Saturdays for the Bob Harris show.
I've found the dog that was reluctant to breed call funny, the Grey Squirrel racist bloke funny and the Courtier that gave Brand advice for when he was to meet the Queen. That was amusing.
Noel Gallagher can have his moments on the Brand show too.
But I find this Dubya like 'your either with us, or against us' bipolarity really unsettling.
Does every Man. Utd. agree with everything Fergie says.
It seems we live a society that is only capable of two views with no room for grey, or off days and variances in performance.
As I've listened to, and laughed at Russell Brand a few times I should be OK with this?
Who benefits by a bipolar, only 2 stances society?
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I note all the many comments saying this routine was just fine and dandy - run of the mill comedy.
Are there really so many morons out there, who think that grossely insulting a pensioner and and using a thousand profanities is 'comedy'? Or have the BBC ordered their tame sheep to try smooth things over?
The BBC's pursuit of PC agendas from immigration to global warming smacks of propaganda on the scale of PRAVDA, and now we have the puerile element of the BBC thinking that schoolboy pranks are funny for adults. I'm surprised the BBC did not blame this lapse in decency on climate change.
It is about time the Biased Broadcasting Corporation was closed down. Of what use is it? Nobody believes a word they say any more, because it is all PC propaganda.
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Should all BBC broadcasters have drug tests?
They drug test servicemen and athletes.
How clean are the cisterns at the BBC?
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BB 30, I find a lot of people to be funny on occasion (that occasion usually after a few pints in a pub), but I don't necessarily want to listen to them on the radio.
I'm old enough to be a great-grandparent in November due to an indiscretion by a too young couple. They probably listened to R&B (not Rythym and Blues) or should have been listening.
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This problem with Ross and Brand is not what has caused the avalanch of complaints. These are just the tip of a seething iceberg of lisence payers who are fed up with the output of more and more filth on the BBC. Why do the BBC feel the need to add to what is a growing culture of crudity and offensive behaviour by some in our country? Surely this is a time in the world when our hopes aspirations and entertainment are in need of a lift from the gutter. Certain language and behaviour is offensive to the majority of our citizens and always will be despite the attempts of a few to de-sensitise us to it.
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All this over something blown up out of all proportion by the Daily Mail?
I hope Sir Paul Dacre and all those around him are proud of what they have achieved. They have shown how out of touch they are with the wider UK population today and at a great cost for which they are unaccountable.
That so few people were offended by the original broadcast shows just how mistaken and scurrilous they were. The consequent so-called "storm" seems to have been mischievously blown-up by Mail.
Mark Thompson and the BBC Trust should have no qualms about calling Mr Dacre's bluff.
Without the Mail, only a few people who have been offended not 18,000. Sir Paul Dacre should surely be the target for censure too? Mail executives appear have made the distress of Mr Sach's and his grand-daughter far worse than it should or could have been. They should be ashamed and they should equally be called to account for their misjudgment.
Giving the Mail extra publicity is abhorent, but the paper's executives should also be apologizing to the Sachs family. Was the editorial decision to run this story really in the public interest? They should not escape blame.
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I have occasionally turned off Jonathan Ross (both on radio and Television) when he is becoming too embarassing but I think it is a great pity that we are now to be deprived of his shows. I think he is one of very few people on TV honestly trying to understand what it means to be a male, family man, watching the years going by. When he kicks against all that by being 'naughty' it's usually very funny and it certainly strikes a chord in me.
I would have turned off the Brand/ Ross show, but don't deprive us of Jonathan for long.
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David_McNickle, some nice quips there. I posted on another Internet forum that it's not big or clever when you or I boast down the pub about the women we've had, so I don't see how it's funny for somebody else to get paid to do it on the BBC at my expense really.
It does seem to be the unacceptable face of 'laddism'.
It all seems a bit late 90s to me. Or perhaps as a magazine subscriber I only see the latest buxom bimbette on the lad mag covers when queueing for stamps at the post office?
Congratulations on becoming a great grand parent.
I'll leave breeding to my siblings.
They both work in 'finance' one is worried about redundancy, and the other is having their own personal bail out.
I am not the parental type, and I know that there is more to being a parent than having sex without contraception.
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'I think he is one of very few people on TV honestly trying to understand what it means to be a male, family man, watching the years going by.'
Is that why Woss is wearing his mum's coat?
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http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1080839/Brand-resigns-Radio-2-BBC-suspends-Ross-completely-unacceptable-prank-call.html
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It seems my comment about the BBC 'losing' that speed camera footage has gone?
It was shot near Wymondham. I have very good friends that live near there.
On Sunday they were involved in a car accident. Their car will probably be written off. The other car wasn't speeding. He just drove along towards a junction with a Give Way and didn't. He hit my friend's car on the NS front wing. He had his wife and kids in the car.
So there you go, a real accident near Wyndham that didn't involve speeding. I was asked to be a god parent for one of the kids in the car.
What do I know about it?
I 've passed the RoSPA RoADAR advanced test twice, failed it once, and passed the IAM test.
In the Summer 2005 issue of Advanced Driving, the IAM Magazine they had a 2 page summary of a report written by Dr. Jeremy Boughton at the TRL. It was commissioned by the DoT, as the number of fatalities on our roads weren't dropping in line as expected with the increased deployment of speed cameras.
Why have not the Ministers banging on this week about deaths on our roads read the report by Dr. Jeremy Boughton? Another inconvenient truth?
Besides paying to have my driving assessed I have several Engineering qualifications.
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Dear heavens, spare us any more Clive Anderson! I'd rather listen to Robert Peston than him...
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I reckon Clarkson would be the ideal warm up act for Whispering Bob Harris, not half mate...
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Brand leaves opening for Clarkson?
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Comment 129 with the URLs removed?
Why can't those that pay for the BBC? That's us see the footage and make our own minds up?
What's so wrong with the BBC just reporting the facts and letting us make our minds up?
The BBC? Reporting the news, or making the news?
Journalism? Or propagnda?
Who do you work for?
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I'm really looking forward to a JR free weekend, I don't find him funny, is their something wrong with me? And his salary! Would that not fund one of those costume dramas the BBC do so well.
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I refuse to put up with the sub-standard one dimensional Jonathon Ross..my advice would be to replace him with someone of genuine wit and wisdom.there are many options , not the least of whom would be Stephen Fry.
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